Digital Painting
 

Many people are sometimes confused about what a digital painting is compared to a traditional painting.  Most seem to understand is has something to do with the computer, but how it is executed is a mystery.  Or others have preconceived ideas about the process that are not necessarily correct.
Because I learned as a traditional artist first, I approach digital painting in the same exact way I would create a watercolor or a drawing.  The tools are different but, for me, the process is the same.   The slideshow of the unicorn is an example of the progress of a digital painting .  It's not any different than if I had painted it on a canvas or illustration board.   
I use a digital drawing tablet along with a stylus that acts as my paintbrush or pencil.  In Photoshop, I have dozens of different brushes that create any art texture that I desire in the same way different paintbrushes create a certain look on a canvas.  I can replicate any real-life artist tool.  
I am there for every pencil or brushstroke, just like I am with a traditional painting.  I don't use techniques where the computer creates a painted look (and those are out there) for many reasons. 

•  I like creating it myself-- I love the painting process --I have a lot of patience and I'm not looking for shortcuts. 

•  I don't think it looks natural when the computer does the work.  I can always spot it when someone uses these programs.

•  When you use a program that creates a painted or drawn appearance, then millions of other people can create same look.  The artwork becomes unoriginal.  

I'm a big fan of traditional art and I don't want to see it fade away into history.  And I don't think it will. 
But I am also a giant fan of digital art and my hope is people will see it for what it is --a new artistic medium that is now a part of our culture.